On Thursday 16 February 2023, when the President responds to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate in Parliament, Build One SA (Bosa) will gather in Johannesburg to unveil our nine provincial leaders and our policy suite that will form the basis of our 2024 election campaign.
As part of this event, we will unpack Bosa’s electoral offer to voters — that which separates us from the rest of the pack and indicates our unique and unoccupied space and role in the South African political landscape.
That role is to build a broad coalition by uniting South Africans around a set of shared values in the radical centre of politics. By drawing from good ideas on the right and the left, from the DA and the ANC — and all the other parties that will play a role in South Africa’s future of coalition politics — we will unite the warring political factions and get on with the business of building South Africa.
South Africans are sick and tired of petty politics, mudslinging and point-scoring. We will need to build consensus around original ideas, creative ideas, and smart ideas to achieve results at scale. And Bosa will play the anchor tenant in this national consensus.
Our focus for the future of South Africa is on the notion of the “radical centre”. It’s “radical” because it departs from the old tools of democratic engagement and strict adherence to ideology. And “centre” because of the position it occupies, holding practical progress as paramount by considering all ideas from the entire spectrum.
This is borne out of the value of ubuntu, the anchor tenet of Bosa’s vision for South Africa. The value that human dignity cannot be violated, that our interconnectedness is sacrosanct.
How does our role differ from the others? Radical centrism is by definition not ideologically dogmatic. Rather it is pragmatic, looking to draw the best ideas out of and bring all sides together to build consensus on a way forward that benefits the country.
Secondly, Bosa is not a home for failed politicians. In fact, the very opposite. We have been disciplined in not going after the low-hanging fruit — disgruntled politicians from other parties.
Instead, our model is to recruit talented, passionate, skilled, and ethical South Africans into the political fray and to serve their country in Parliament. There are thousands of talented South Africans who are locked out and dissuaded from public service. Our role is to unlock Parliament and open its doors to talent and ethical service over recycled career politicians.
Thirdly, I have been on both sides of the political divide — from Thabo Mbeki’s ANC to the DA of late. And I have formed some of the country’s most important coalition agreements in metros following 2016. Moreover, I led a broad coalition within the DA itself, between the conservative and classical liberal faction and the progressive social democratic faction.
I have a keen perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and what’s required to build consensus nationally around the radical centre.
There is no morality in the politics of us versus them, or left versus right, or rich versus poor, or tribe versus tribe. It is immoral to govern only for the benefit of a small, wealthy elite.
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At Build One South Africa, we believe that the only conscious moral choice is to create a future in which all South Africans, regardless of race, creed or wealth, deserve competent, honest government that offers a realistic hope of a better future.
Only when all South Africans are free to use their resources to create value for others, and reward those who create value for them, can we be sure that tomorrow, everyone will be a little better off than today.
Genuine solutions to the country’s problems recognise the legitimate interests of all South Africans, and are based on realism and pragmatism, not on ideological illusions and tribal loyalty. Centrism adopts policies and plans not because they sound good in theory, but because they are proven to work in practice.
Centrism recognises the power of the market and adopts policies that promote property rights and free enterprise. This belief is based on the premise that economics is not a zero-sum game with winners and losers, but that a free economy raises the general prosperity of all its participants, reducing poverty and expanding the middle class.
However, it also values the role of the state to ensure that nobody is left behind, nobody is excluded, and that the public interest is protected. It seeks to ensure that everyone is not only free in principle, but that no matter their material circumstances, everyone is also free in practice to exercise the choices that improve their lives.
That centrism rejects traditional ideological divisions and views compromise as productive and does not mean that it abandons all principles.
At Build One South Africa, we espouse a strong value system based on individual rights and freedom, balanced with a powerful sense of ubuntu that knits society together despite individual differences.
We are committed to upholding the rule of law, social and economic justice and political accountability. We are committed to free thought, free speech, and free exercise of faith.
We are under no illusion that all it would take to turn the country around is a little less corruption, a little more diligence, some more competence, and a few fresh faces.
That’s why our brand of centrism is also radical. It recognises that change will require fundamental reform of democratic institutions and government practices.
That does not mean we need to spend vast amounts of taxpayer money and many years rebuilding. Many radical centrist ideas can be achieved fairly quickly, and with minimal commitment of fiscal resources.
Radical centrism promises a new kind of politics in which political differences are not a liability, but a strength, since it produces a richer well of ideas and solutions from which we can draw.
Instead of painting castles in the sky with vague promises of a wonderful but unrealistic science-fiction future when they can’t even keep the lights on, radical centrism promises results based on practical ideas, diligent action, and grassroots accountability.
On Thursday we will launch Bosa’s policy suite — 10 ideas to fix SA that we will mobilise citizens and political parties around. These ideas cover the economy, education, healthcare, safety and efficient government. Most crucially, these are not ideological ideas. They are based on values that all sides of the political spectrum can coalesce around.
In addition, we will unveil our nine provincial leaders who will be recruiting candidates for election, mobilising communities, and building the Bosa brand across South Africa.
Together, we can build a South Africa that works for all its citizens, no matter their party loyalties, where they live, or how rich or poor they are. We need to work with each other, not against each other.
Build One South Africa’s radical centrism model is the best, and only, way to make coalition politics work for all South Africans. DM
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Radical lies?
Constituents of radical centrism are incompatible but not mutually exclusive. Free market works as intended whenever there is minimal state intervention. How many people unemployed, to intervene to assist them hardly qualifies as minimal so is rising taxes for it. However, by what threshold does it qualify as minimal? State intervention does not contradict free market, hence both possible simultaneously. But by what principle is the conjunction of incompatible options maximal than either alone? Centrism seem as an obviously weak option since vulnerable to the inherent incompatibility of it’s constitutive ideas ( iron mixes with clay but not well). Whatever is its institutions, they cannot be coherent to be sustainable. By definition, state is always driven by group interests that are not always harmonious to those of the individual within and outside the group. How might we reconcile this? Appeal to the common good is not sufficient since we are more selfish than altruistic. Society is born out of its recognition as the best means to satisfy individual desires. if so, free market is the only society that satifies individual desires. Its not but a theory of human action in midst of finite means. Hence, centrism seems not only false but superfluous. Why combine alternatives if the rest is irrelevant?
So these mindless and pointless circumlocutions are the best that an aspirant political leader in South Africa can offer.
Plainly the ANC has shown that it is unfit to govern and no-one in the opposition has the wherewithal to govern.
Some people believe that a miracle will fall from the sky in 2024.
Somehow, I doubt it.
Addressing the scourge of corruption in SA will not be achieved by aspiring to “a little less corruption”, on the contrary , grand corruption is so endemic and so systemically entrenched by the feral ANC that countering it ought to be front and centre of every political manifesto, including yours, dear Mmusi.
BOSA ignores corruption, or downplays it, at BOSA’s peril. A pragmatic meritocracy is a honest aspiration that will surely fail in the absence of radical reform of the criminal justice administration that addresses serious corruption head on instead of knavishly downplaying its corrosive effect in SA.
Why combine alternatives if the rest is irrelevant? Absolutely. And leadership is more dynamic than the statement of the obvious. Mmusi and Bosa, you have a way to go before you could convince anyone with promises of policy suites! Some hard plans might be interesting. But we ain’t holding our breath.
I am surprised at how negative the responses are to this article: are we just addicted to moaning and finding fault? I didn’t read that what we need ‘ is a little less corruption ‘ but that curbing corruption is not enough to solve the crisis we face. I’ll vote for BOSA because the DA is deeply unattractive – the arrogance plus Steenhuizen. They can then form coalitions.
It sounds promising, but some of Musi’s statements would be more powerful if he also admits to his failures. Maybe that is a better place to start : let’s be honest about where we all are, and how we have failed, not just point fingers at the obvious culprits. We had placed our hope in Musi and it feels as if he just gave up and disappeared- leaving the DA in the hands of Steenhuizen – a two steps back, arrogant man who would never draw in the disenfranchised of our country. My thoughts: ideology will always drive people, rather approach it as putting aside our differences to save our country.
There is a lot of good said here ( although some of it vague),but I really pray that it could work. South Africa needs a miracle right now for sure. ( and please someone who Musi trusts should do a proofread to strengthen his message : no “it’s” , rather say it is. Let’s watch this space…
Dear Mmusi… we have been waiting for you! Wishing you abundance of energy and strength on the road to 2024.
Cannot wait to see the nine provincial leaders who one assumes will be beyond reproach in every way.
This is an interesting stance put forward by Mmusi. The approach of centrism and political compromise follows in the historic footsteps of Smuts and Mandela. Both these statesmen had a view of what was right for South Africa (in their times) and recognised the need for compromise to bring together communities for the betterment of South Africa. For Smuts, it was the need to cement the Boer and English communities after the Boer War within the British led Commonwealth. For Mandela it was the need to cement the relationship between all the communities in South Africa after the bitterness and strife. In both cases this also appeared to be a recognition that extreme politics would result in South Africa becoming marginalized internationally and failing to get the inward investment needed to sustain a successful economy. What is needed , and it appears Mmusi is pointing in the right direction, is a vision based on the needs of the South African economy in order to encourage inward investment for the betterment of all South Africans. Sadly the ANC appears to be making many of the mistakes of the Nationalists post Smuts and seems intent on destroying the South African economy and any prospect of inward investment from the democratic economies. These include America, Europe, UK and Japan – a much more significant group of economies than Russia and China. Remember, the latter maybe able to send you weapons and loans but do not take much of your exports in return
Written down like this, mostly it sounds pretty good, but putting it into practice is something very different. In any case, I wish you: “Good Luck”!
The answers to SA’s problems are simple and understood by most reasonably educated and intelligent people. Look at what the top ten most successful countries do and copy them with some adjustments for local conditions. Look at what the bottom ten do (excluding real basket cases like Haiti and North Korea) and you know what to avoid. SA”s current government is disinterested and incompetent beyond saving everything they touch turns to dust so there are two vital tasks without which failure is guaranteed. One-vote them out in 2024. In order to have ANY hope of doing this you have to get the message out to the masses currently(and inexplicably) still supporting the ANC and the blatant charlatans of the EFF!! Much as I love the DM, you are preaching to the converted here and with respect you and all the talented contributors to this wonderful newspaper are getting nowhere. Two-the opposition(apart from the loonies) are broadly on the same page but hopelessly fragmented. We need to create a broad centrist Front. That will need the leaders of the smaller parties to swallow their Egos and put country first.
Sadly-fat chance.